The Second Line of Defense: American Women and World War I

This monograph examines World War I’s impact on women and, and women’s impact on the war. Telling the stories of a diverse group of women, Lynn Dumenil analyzes both the roadblocks and opportunities they faced. She richly explores the ways in which women helped the United States mobilize for the largest military endeavor in the nation’s history. Dumenil shows how women activists staked their claim to loyal citizenship by framing their war work as home front volunteers, overseas nurses, factory laborers, and support personnel as “the second line of defense.”